The tension in the air is almost palpable. For some reason, the atmosphere becomes humid and unbearably warm. Jongwoon can feel his clothes sticking uncomfortably against his sweaty skin and he suddenly has the urge to turn the air conditioning on.

However, his feet are glued to the ground, and the way Hyukjae is currently looking at him isn’t helping matters at all, only serving to make him feel tingly inside.

He watches silently as the younger’s gaze fixes on his lips and stays there. Fascinated, Jongwoon observes him closely, noticing the sweat pouring down from the other man’s forehead and the way he keeps swallowing every few seconds.

The tension knots his muscles and Jongwoon tries not to give in to impulse. Not yet, at least.

...But it’s hard.

“If you don’t stop looking at my lips without doing anything about it, I will take you right here on this counter.”

That snaps Hyukjae out of his trance, and a bright blush begins to coat his cheeks when he realizes he’s been caught. Jongwoon stifles a chuckle and moves forward just close enough to lightly grasp the edge of Hyukjae’s shirt collar.

“You’ve been teasing and flirting with me all night ever since the party started,” Jongwoon says softly, looking Hyukjae straight in the eyes. “You’ve been staring at my lips for a while, too… Do you want to kiss me?”

Blinking, Hyukjae gives a hesitant nod, ears flushed red in embarrassment.

A smile curves Jongwoon’s lips.

“All right… Then, I’ll close my eyes first,” he offers.

Hyukjae nods again, this time feeling more sure of himself, and takes a small step closer.

Leaning forward, his eyelids flutter shut as he catches Jongwoon’s lips, moving along them slowly as though testing the waters. Then, just as quickly as he claimed them, he pulls away, just a little bit, with their faces still in close proximity.

Jongwoon opens his eyes and finds Hyukjae’s gaze locked in his.

Without saying a word, Hyukjae swoops in once more, but not without suddenly grabbing Jongwoon by the elbows and pressing him tightly against his chest. Jongwoon makes a surprised sound at the back of his throat, but all other thoughts in his head quickly dissolve when Hyukjae greedily captures Jongwoon’s lower lip, quickly the air out of it.

Hyukjae’s hands have a tight grip on Jongwoon’s waist, forcing the latter to stay still, so Jongwoon has no choice but to grab at Hyukjae’s shoulders like a lifeline, like an anchor to prevent himself from drowning. His lungs are burning and his skin feels like it’s on fire. Hyukjae bites at his lips, making him groan in both pleasure and pain, and soon the younger’s tongue is exploring everywhere, tasting every inch on the inside.

When Jongwoon feels his airway currently begging for oxygen, he thinks in amusement, This guy is a good kisser.

At that moment, Hyukjae breaks away and lets their foreheads bump against each other lightly.

“Are… you okay…?” he asks breathlessly.

The nerve, Jongwoon thinks to himself as he inhales all the air his lungs need.

He has no right to ask me that after giving me a surprisingly passionate kiss just now.

“Shut up” is Jongwoon’s intelligent reply before grabbing Hyukjae’s collar and pulling him in for another kiss, this time with Jongwoon initiating the lead. As Jongwoon tilts his head, grabbing Hyukjae by the hair with just enough force to make him gasp, he grabs that opportunity to shove his tongue inside the younger’s mouth, invading him, tasting him, letting himself drown in the intoxicating feeling.

He tastes like the strawberries he ate earlier.

When Hyukjae starts to make small, cute noises in his throat at the intensity, Jongwoon smiles and tangles his fingers in the younger man’s hair, feeling the softness of the strands. His other hand is wrapped around Hyukjae’s waist and he can feel the latter’s skin becoming warmer and warmer by the second.

Jongwoon loves it.

“You’re—” Hyukjae tries to say in-between kisses. “—really—” He moans as Jongwoon closes the gap between their bodies, skin and clothes melding against each other with delicious friction. “—good—” He makes a surprised sound when Jongwoon suddenly lifts him by the waist with one hand and makes him sit on the counter. “—at this...”

When the final words leave his lips, Jongwoon breaks the kiss, mouth moving sensually from Hyukjae’s chin down to his jaw, to his Adam’s apple, to his neck, and then to his collarbone. Jongwoon catches the skin there with his teeth, eliciting another moan from Hyukjae.

“You…” Hyukjae stammers, now unable to speak properly in a straight sentence. His voice sounds hoarse now, god. “...you’re — you’re not really… going to take me… here on the c—counter… right...?”

Jongwoon glances up and gazes at him with that enigmatic look in his eyes. Hyukjae swallows, trying to search through the man’s expression for any signs of emotion. However, he’s finding it hard to decipher anything at the moment; he’s still panting and out of breath, his heart is beating so fast like he has just run a marathon, and he can also feel an undeniable warmth on his cheeks that he fervently wishes would go away.

Jongwoon continues to stare, to look at Hyukjae’s dazed eyes, his swollen lips, his flushed neck and ears, and the tempting sneak peek of his toned chest underneath the open buttons of his shirt.

“I wasn’t going to...” Jongwoon says with a slow, mischievous smile that makes Hyukjae’s heart jump in his chest. “...but I guess I will now.”